Chapter 913: Klein's Preparatory Work

Ready... Of course not... Klein smiled as he pointed at Enzo.

"That glove still needs sealing."

As he spoke, the badly sunburnt Enzo removed the human-skinned glove

from his right hand with his left hand which wore the Flower of Blood

and Green Essence rings.

It was Creeping Hunger.

Normally, Klein tended to throw Creeping Hunger above the gray fog when

it wasn't in use. After all, the glove's original seal had been disabled

after its mutation. It needed to consume a living person on a daily

basis; otherwise, it would feast on the wearer. However, considering how

Mr. Azik had already replied, it was very likely that he would meet him

soon. Finally, he decided to keep Creeping Hunger in the real world

unless there were unique circumstances.

After all, he could already imagine the scene of Mr. Azik arriving. He

didn't wish for such a conversation to happen.

"Didn't you say that the glove needs sealing?"

"Yes. Give me a second. I need to use the washroom."

Or:

"Are you ready?"

"...No. Give me a second. I need to use the washroom."

Just the thought of a similar scene and similar line embarrassed Klein,

making him feel awkward. Even if he didn't consider the possibility of

Mr. Azik realizing the secret of the gray fog, this would also affect

his impression of him.

Therefore, after obtaining a new marionette and completing his attempt

at looking at himself, Klein brought Creeping Hunger back to the real

world, making up for its previous meal.

Unlike before, the wearer was now Enzo.

Aside from that, to restrain Creeping Hunger's urge to eat a person on a

daily basis, Klein carried a few normal mushrooms with him. He also made

the marionette maintain a distance of at least five meters from him.

Upon hearing his words and seeing the marionette's actions, Azik nodded

and reached out to receive the human-skinned glove.

Taking this opportunity, Klein took out a few mushrooms from his pocket

and threw them into the nearby trash can.

Pa!

He snapped his fingers, igniting the mushrooms within a scarlet flame.

However, it didn't affect anything around it.

This was his Flame Controlling power from being a Magician.

After completing this action and seeing Mr. Azik inevitably glance over,

Klein chuckled dryly.

"The unforeseen development back then has made Creeping Hunger a little

afraid of mushrooms. I'm using its weakness to restrain its usual

urges."

In fact, there wasn't much point in doing so because carrying the

mushrooms restrained Creeping Hunger. It made the starving Sealed

Artifact immediately lash back the moment the mushrooms disappeared.

Unless there was any easily obtainable "food" in front of it, it would

end up aiding the enemy.

"Mushroom..." Azik muttered as he held the glove which had blood stains

on its surface. He made the surroundings suddenly turn dark as the

sunlight outside was prohibited from entering.

Ghastly-white, dark-green complicated symbols, labels, and patterns

appeared out of thin air. They appeared to be calligraphed by invisible

wraiths, shadows, and spirit bodies.

They meshed together in midair, forming a mysterious, illusory double

bronze door that seemed to lead to another world. It was a deep, silent,

and terrifying world.

The illusory door shrank and finally landed on Creeping Hunger, causing

its blood stains to rapidly recede, making it mostly white.

A few seconds later, this human-skinned glove returned to normal. It was

still a thin layered glove, and even without any suppressive effect from

the mushrooms, it didn't express any signs of mania or urges.

"It's like how it was before." Azik handed Creeping Hunger to Klein.

Having a bigshot backing you sure feels good! Klein reflected

inwardly and earnestly thanked him before wearing Creeping Hunger on his

left hand.

He thought for a moment and raised a matter.

"Mr. Azik, while I was carrying your copper whistle while passing

through the Berserk Sea, I had the same dream repeatedly.

"The main theme of the dream is darkness and coldness. In an inverted

underground mausoleum, there were countless coffins with a deceased body

inside. On their backs were dense white feathers.

"Those feathers were tainted with pale yellow oil, and deep inside the

mausoleum was a blob of black fog that enveloped everything.

"In the dream, you and I were exploring the mausoleum. We triggered

something, causing the black fog to produce panting sounds as thin

illusory black tubes were extended.

"I would jolt myself awake whenever I reach this point in the dream.

This seems to be similar to the byproduct of the Numinous Episcopate's

Artificial Death Project that previously appeared."

Klein described, in detail, his divination of the copper whistle as a

dream; he did this as a warning to Mr. Azik as if to say that he

shouldn't be too careless. After all, dream divination was, in a sense,

equivalent to a dream, and Azik knew that he was a Beyonder of the Seer

pathway. Having such an encounter wasn't anything odd.

Having a revelation from a normal dream and getting a revelation from a

dream divination only differed in one way: one being passive and the

other active.

Azik finished listening silently without cutting Klein off. At the end

of that, he nodded and said, "It's likely related to something Death

left in the Berserk Sea.

"From the looks of it, the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death

Project has had some qualitative progress."

*Mr. Azik lives up to being a Fourth Epoch Death Consul. He doesn't

belittle my dream at all...* Klein raised his right hand and

rubbed his face, turning into Gehrman Sparrow.

He then said, "I only have one more thing I need to prepare. I need to

confirm if Admiral Hell Ludwell isn't somewhere dangerous and that there

aren't any Numinous Episcopate demigods around him."

As for whether the Murloc Cufflink was still on the ship, Klein didn't

mention it. This was because he would check on it every few days. He

believed that Admiral Hell had yet to discover the mystical item, or he

might've already discovered it but had deliberately not moved it, hoping

to lay an ambush for the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, when he

visited.

Azik replied calmly, "That can be confirmed when we are nearby."

"Alright." Klein immediately made Enzo walk to the coat rack and pull

out the golden cane.

Seeing that there was nothing else, Azik reached out his right hand and

grabbed Klein's shoulder.

Klein also reached out his right palm to grab onto Enzo's shoulder.

The surrounding colors suddenly changed. The reds became redder, and the

blacks became blacker. They stacked against each other but were bright

and discordant.

The two men and the marionette began passing through the spirit world as

the black gold inlaid cane danced ahead, pointing out the direction of

Klein's lost Murloc Cufflink.

Before long, the cane fell down and was suspended in midair. Azik

terminated the traveling, but they remained in the spirit world.

He seemed to be watching something or listening in on something. After

two to three seconds, he said, "There aren't any problems."

With that said, he brought Klein while Klein brought his marionette out

of the spirit world.

Meanwhile, Klein recalled the time he searched for clues to Azik's

memories. Back then, the target was the ancient chronicles that Vice

Admiral Ailment Tracy possessed.

Back then, Azik had said "the problem isn't serious," but in the end, he

faced Demoness of Unaging Katarina...

There aren't any problems... Alright, since you say so...

Klein lampooned as he sized up his surroundings.

It was a rather familiar environment. It was a huge ship with a mainly

dark color with a ghostly green to it. It had a Black Tulip flag, as

well as zombies, skeletons, wraiths, shadows, and other undying

creatures; these creatures either directed the sails, patrolled the

area, or did cannon drills. All of that proved that it was the flagship,

Black Tulip, of Admiral Hell.

Unlike Klein's last encounter, the Black Tulip had quite a number of

living Beyonders.

The silver-masked captain with an exaggerated rapier, frilly shirt, a

gorgeous coat, and a triangular hat with a white skull on it, Admiral

Hell Ludwell, was standing by the cabin's entrance looking over.

Suddenly, the black ring on Ludwell's right hand trembled and glimmered.

The pale white flame in the arrogant pirate admiral's eyes wavered and

finally constricted to its limits.

Immediately, Ludwell bent his back, prostrated to the ground in front of

Azik Eggers, and kissed the deck under the gaze of the either glazed,

surprised, or lifeless eyes.